


Watch the waves and move the fader

by sandyk



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Canon Divergence - Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Character death is only temporary, Fix It, Gen, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-07
Updated: 2020-05-07
Packaged: 2021-03-02 00:14:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,401
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23842075
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sandyk/pseuds/sandyk
Summary: Peter had an idea for time travel right before everything turned awful.
Relationships: Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Comments: 2
Kudos: 115
Collections: The Friendly Neighborhood Exchange





	Watch the waves and move the fader

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Sciencelings](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sciencelings/gifts).



> Title from Gillian Welch's time (the revelator). Thanks a!!! and e for listening to me. not mine, no profit garnered.

It was lab day so the kid was over. He could grudgingly admit lab day, when Peter came over once a week, Tony Stark enjoyed it. Peter was smart, sometimes, on his best day when Tony was helping him, smarter than Tony. He was a pleasure to work with. That part Tony would never admit, it would go to the kid's head. He believed in praise and making sure Pete knew his worth, but he was good, so very good. 

The kid came tripping in, bursting with vigor and vim. And twitchy. He was vibrating with excitement. "I had a dream, like, seriously, I woke up and just started writing it down. I have an idea." He whipped out a notebook with actual paper and drawings all over it. 

"I gave you a Starkpad," Tony said, pulling the papers closer. "You can use that instead of this, this nineteenth century technology."

Peter rolled his eyes. He looked twelve. He said, "I wasn't thinking about that when I woke up, I was reaching for the first thing I could get it all down on."

Tony looked over Peter's adorable writing and graphs. He immediately understood what he was going for. "Time travel? Come on."

"I know, it's one of those man should not, people should not," Peter said. "But then I had the dream."

Tony said, "You know that it's not a Back to the Future gig, to grossly oversimplify. If you even know that old movie."

Peter rolled his eyes. "I've seen the movies. All three. But while I know that's the current theorizing, it's all just theory. I think --" And the kid went on and it was hard not to think he was right. It was the hardest part and the best part of having him around. Peter was so smart. He was challenging and brilliant and, damn, Tony stopped himself. He sounded like a doting dad. He shuddered. Then he argued with Peter because it helped Peter grow.

Two hours and a number of drawings and calculations from FRIDAY later, they were ready to start working on the kid's idea. "Next time," Tony said. "You have to be home in time for dinner. I can send you there with 'extra' takeout, if you want."

Peter frowned and then said, "Yeah, takeout will be cool. But we can start now."

"No, we won't. We have a schedule here. An agreed upon schedule. Until we build and test that time machine and you go back and convince your Aunt to be a little less insistent on your dinner time on lab days. So go."

"Not without my extra takeout," Peter said and then laughed. Such a great kid. 

They upped lab days so they could build the time machine. Tony decided they should move the project to the compound. "We have to think about future trips to the future or the past. The compound is a more stable space."

"Right, exactly, cool," Peter said. "Manhattan is constantly being invaded or bombed. And places you live are even worse."

"Exactly," Tony said. 

So they built it in a part of the compound that was mostly empty and had been empty. "You know," Peter said, after they finished the first build, "we can only use this for fate of the universe level events. Death Star blows up a planet kind of event."

Tony nodded. "Right, because it wouldn't be good to go back and save your uncle or save my parents. That would be wrong."

"It would be," Peter said. He looked very serious, like a thirteen year old about to start their Bar Mitzvah speech. "We can't just change things for one person. And your parents, your parents were really important to history but that was over twenty five years ago. The repercussions, if we're right they spread like ripples and even change on a small scale, which saving Howard Stark would not be small, or, or your mother, too. We don't know how much of an impact that could have. It might not be good."

"No," Tony said. "I know that. We talked about this already. We're building this and testing it and then we are going to never use it unless the worst happens."

"Planet level destruction," Peter said. "Not just, like, if I die."

Tony hadn't thought of that. Mostly because he absolutely refused to contemplate anything lethal in the vicinity of Peter. Tony said, "I'm not agreeing to that. You're a very important person. You're a genius, you're a superhero, superhero lite. But in the future, actual full fledged superhero. And smart enough to think up a time machine. So yes, you dying is a planet level event."

"So I should do it for you," Peter said. "I probably would."

"Well, with me, no, don't. Probably don't. Check with Pepper and Rhodey. If Pepper and Rhodey think it should happen, then trust them. I'm not consulting anyone if you die. Going with my own judgment there," Tony said. He started tinkering so he didn't have to actually look at Peter. 

"I think you should consider that maybe I don't want you to," Peter said. 

"I think you should consider that when you're dead, I will not be thinking about your ridiculous concerns," Tony said.

Peter sighed loudly. 

They figured out how to get back, how to store data outside of their time trips and also, because Tony was involved and Peter loved that shit, too, they made it look cool. Like the Star Trek transporter room in the reboot movie, because that was Peter's definition of really cool. Tony was willing to go with it. 

The first test, they went one week back. Peter did it, in case there were physical effects and also because he argued with Tony so much, Tony just gave up. Letting the kid wear him down set a bad precedent, though. Tony was already steeling his resolve for the next time they argued. 

Peter went with a small plant. He walked out and planted it right outside on the grounds. Then he came back and jumped around a little in celebration. He called it dancing which clearly it was not. 

FRIDAY played back the security video showing Peter doing the planting. Then they watched the little plant grow over the course of the week. "No notable repercussions," FRIDAY said. 

"I'll remind you of your definition of notable," Tony said. 

FRIDAY said, "I do remember, boss." 

Peter went back a month and did the same thing. This plant grew even more but with still no notable repercussions. "It's just a plant," Peter said. 

Tony asked Friday to show the Peter planting from a week ago again. It was still there, but Peter was dressed differently. "Why are you wearing those shoes?"

"I wasn't," Peter said. "Those are, that's my Doc Martens. Why would I wear those?"

"When do you wear them?"

"Whenever I want to feel, um, they're very solid," Peter said. 

"They make you feel strong," Tony said. "But you didn't feel like you needed them when we actually did this two days ago."

Peter nodded, like he was thinking. Of course he was thinking. Peter said, "We should ask outside FRIDAY, not the non time-shifted FRIDAY."

Tony nodded, too. Turned out outside FRIDAY had records of Peter and Tony noticing the new plant, then watching the footage of Peter. They'd been working on the time machine, too, and they took it as a sign of success. "Ugh," Peter said. "So neither of us are the people we actually were a month ago."

"I believe if we stay out here long enough, we'll start to remember," Tony said. "Part of the, the uh -"

"Yeah, yeah," Peter said. "So tomorrow we do six months back?"

"Yup. You hadn't even had your Marty McFly dreams back then," Tony said. "Who knows what we upset this time."

"This is why you have to wait until it's a planet level event so all the repercussions are worth it," Peter said. He wasn't looking at Tony.

"No temptation to save anyone, huh," Tony said. 

"I'm not perfect," Peter said.

"I know." He reached over and patted the kid's shoulder. "It's okay."

Peter went back six months. He carried another tiny plantling and he plotted out where the other two plants would be before planting the new one. Then he came back. 

"There isn't three plants, there's just the one," Tony said. 

"Why didn't we go back and do the two earlier ones?" Peter started poking at FRIDAY's console. "Whoa."

"Whoa is right," Tony said. "No time machine building, no previous trips. Did you not have your exciting dream because of a plant?"

"Because you saw me from the future planting something," Peter said. 

"Which is weird," Tony said. "So weird. But we'll figure this out tomorrow."

"No, day after," Peter said. "Tomorrow is the field trip to MOMA." 

Peter never got to MOMA. Peter died on Titan. Lots of people died. 

Tony came home and passed out. He didn't yell at anyone. He waited to get better enough that he could travel in time. 

Then he went to the compound and stood outside the machine. This was definitely a planet level event. Universe level event. 

"What is this?" Nat was, of course, standing right behind him.

"None of your business," Tony said.

"It's a time machine," Nat said. "I asked FRIDAY."

"FRIDAY should not be talking to you," Tony said.

"FRIDAY likes me." Nat said. "I'll go with you."

Tony shook his head and weighed the pluses and minuses of fighting with Nat or getting to work on getting back Peter. 

"Fine," Tony said. "Fine. We go back to the day before. I call Cap early."

"No, I'll call Steve, you call me," Nat said. "Tell me to convince Steve we have to go to Wakanda."

"You won't be confused by my message?" 

Nat said, "Of course I will, but then when Steve tells me I called him, I'll figure out it's very important and solve it later. Like right now."

"There won't be a right now, we're going to save everyone," Tony said. 

They walked out to the area where Peter's plants were. They made their calls. Then they went back. Tony said, "FRIDAY, give me the update."

"The snap did not occur, boss."

"And the rest?"

FRIDAY paused. "Peter Quill, the alien Mantis and Peter Parker were all killed in the battle on Titan."

"Okay, we go again," Tony said.

"You undid the snap," Nat said. "We don't have to go again."

"Yes, we do," Tony said. "We keep doing this until Peter is alive. You would do that for Clint."

Nat squinted a little. Tony said, "What if it was Nathaniel? What if it was one of Clint's kids who call you Aunt Nat and you have to protect?"

"Okay," Nat said. 

They went back two days from the day of the battle. They kept going. It turned out a week before the battle was the perfect time. Everyone lived. Everyone made it. 

He and Nat came out of the room and Peter was right there. Tony grabbed him in the tightest possible hug. The kid could take it. Tony was making embarrassing crying sounds, too. Peter hugged him back, bless the kid's heart. 

Tony backed up and said, "So, I know you don't know, but you have to trust me, it was actually a planet level event. It wasn't just you dying."

Peter shrugged. "I believe you."

"It took a few tries, but you're alive and so's half the universe so I win."

Peter said, "A few tries?" He frowned and looked down. He said, "Mr. Stark, if I was dead a few times, maybe fate wanted me that way. Maybe the forces of the universe needed it that way."

"Nope, no, not true," Tony said. He sat down on a bench, he was exhausted. "You were only dead in three of the seven tries, so no, not fate. Also there's no fate or destiny. It's just people, making choices."

"Seven tries?" Peter was standing nervously, perfectly alive. 

"First time; you were dead and only a few others, second time for some reason the snap still happened so that was half the universe. Half the universe. Including you. And Aunt May." Tony pointed at Peter. "Third time, no snap, but Nat was dead. So we went right back, funny thing, time four I was dead so, again, went back right away. Maybe that's why I'm exhausted. Time five, no snap but there was a huge fight in New York City and millions died, including you again, sacrificing yourself. Fuck that." 

Tony exhaled. "Sixth time, no Snap, you lived, but a bunch of other people didn't, including Captain America and Sam Wilson, so Nat insisted we try again and she was right. Because everyone lived."

Peter stepped closer and said, "I get it. I saw you, on the cameras. I was looking at footage to figure out why planting the third plant stopped us from planting the other two. I saw you and Nat. I figured, I knew it had to be something big."

"No," Tony said. "We hadn't done that before - no. That's wrong from what I remember."

Peter shrugged again. "I don't know. Maybe something about the third plant changes caught up with me? Which is why I remember it, it happened different from what you experienced." His eyes lit up. "Oh, man, we're going to have to do some serious studies."

Tony smiled again. He stood up and hugged Peter again. "Some serious studies and also we never use it unless you die, or millions of people do in a way we think we can change."

He let go of Peter and started walking towards the cafeteria. "This still the way to food? I'm beyond starving."

"It's still the way," Peter said. "Do you want me to tell you what happened? I guess you'll start to remember it the longer you're in this timeline. Oh, I shouldn't tell you. For our studies!"

"Yeah, we'll see how long it takes for me to forget you dying in my arms," Tony said. "The sooner, the better." 

Peter patted Tony's back. "I'm not dead. You saved me. Thank you."

"I would do it again, a million times," Tony said. "Jeez, can we count dramatic declarations as a side effect?"

"Just for you," Peter said, laughing.


End file.
